Riverside
uses the dry-aging method for beef.Dry Aged Beef:

·Forty years ago, most of our beef
was dry aged. In the early 1960's the process of vacuum packing beef became the norm for most processors.

· The advantage
of this process was that they could "wet age" the beef in the bag and not lose any of the weight of the beef. Wet
aging was much more cost effective for the processors so a weaning of the consumers' taste buds began to occur. Slowly, the
consumer forgot what the real taste of steak was.

·
Beef is aged for 7 to 21 days. During this process a crust forms on the outside of the loin, very similar to the texture of
beef jerky. This layer is trimmed away, leaving steaks that are superior in tenderness and flavor. During the dry aging process,
the juices are absorbed into the meat, enhancing the flavor and tenderizing the steaks.

·
Research from major universities, including Kansas State University, indicates the enhancement of flavor and tenderness occurs
in this Dry Aging process. Dry Aged Steaks are very popular in the fine, white linen steakhouses on the coasts.

· A percentage of the original weight
of the loin is lost during the dry aging process.

Here are the temperature charts for doneness of beef steaks. These
are Internal Temperature readings. Insert thermometer in thickest part of the steak, making sure not to touch the bone.

Very Rare 130° F

Rare140° F

Cook for a few minutes
per side, depending on thickness;

Turn once only;

Cook until steak feels ‘very soft’ with back of tongs;

A meat
thermometer will show the internal temperature of a rare steak as 140° F.

Medium Rare 145° F

Cook on one side until moisture is just visible on top surface;

Turn once only;

Cook on the
other side until surface moisture is visible;

Steak will be cooked to medium rare when it feels ‘soft’
with back of tongs;

A meat thermometer will show the internal temperature of a medium rare steak as 145° F.

Medium 160° F

Cook on one side until moisture is pooling on top surface;

Turn once only;

Cook on second
side until moisture is visible;

Steak will be cooked to medium when it feels ‘springy’ with back of tongs;

A meat
thermometer will show the internal temperature of a medium steak as 160° F.

Well Done 170° F

Cook on one side until moisture is pooling on top surface;

Turn and cook on second side until moisture
is pooling on top;

Reduce heat slightly and continue to cook until steak feels ‘firm’ with back of tongs;

A meat
thermometer will show the internal temperature of a medium-well steak as 170° F.

Very Well Done180°
F

Cook on one side until
moisture is pooling on top surface;

Turn and cook on second side until moisture is pooling on top;

Reduce heat
slightly and continue to cook until steak feels ‘very firm’ with back of tongs;

A meat thermometer
will show the internal temperature of a well-done steak as 180° F.

Most beef has little flecks of fat within the muscles. The term for this is marbling. Marbling is sometimes referred
to as the taste fat. When the steak is cooked, marbling melts at that high temperature. This helps to make the beef juicy.
Beef with very little marbling is often dry after it is cooked. This is especially true if the steak is cooked a long time.
Marbling also gives beef its unique flavor. A good steak has a lot of marbling.

What About Grass-fed Beef?

This is an informative article I found for grass-fed beef....I do not agree fully with everything the writer says
but there is good information for those wondering about grass-fed beef.

Cows, sheep, and
other grazing animals are endowed with the ability to convert grasses, which those of us who possess only one stomach cannot
digest, into food that we can digest. They can do this because they are ruminants, which is to say that they possess a rumen,
a 45 or so gallon (in the case of cows) fermentation tank in which resident bacteria convert cellulose into protein and fats.

Traditionally, all beef was grass-fed beef, but in the United States today what is commercially available is almost
all feedlot beef. The reason? It's faster, and so more profitable. Seventy-five years ago, steers were 4 or 5 years old at
slaughter. Today, they are 14 or 16 months. You can't take a beef calf from a birth weight of 80 pounds to 1,200 pounds in
a little more than a year on grass. It takes enormous quantities of corn, protein supplements, antibiotics and other drugs,
including growth hormones.

Switching a cow from grass to grain is so disturbing to the animal's digestive system
that it can kill the animal if not done gradually and if the animal is not continually fed antibiotics. These animals are
designed to forage, but we make them eat grain, primarily corn, in order to make them as fat as possible as fast as possible. To
read more click on link http://www.foodrevolution.org/grassfedbeef.htm